Aka Amy

I frowned as I stared at the map app on my phone for a few more seconds, "I'm positive this is the village mom said. So unless she got the name wrong, the cottage where granny grew up should be around here somewhere."

"Unless it's been torn down or something," I added with a sigh.

Amy had a sip of her coffee then responded quietly, "You could always ask around, right? I'm pretty sure this is the only pub in town, and the guy behind the bar looks like he's probably been here a while. He might know where the Cleary farm is. Or was. Or if there's any Clearys still living in the area."

"Yeah," I sighed again. I added just as softly, "He doesn't seem that friendly though."

The bartender looked like he was in his sixties at least, and his face seemed to be set in a permanent scowl. Either that or he really wasn't happy about having us foreigners in his pub. Or maybe he realized we were a couple and didn't approve of queer people. Whatever it was, his grumpy demeanour made me a little reluctant to try and talk with him.

On the other hand Amy was right, there was a good chance the old bartender would know plenty of locals. And if he didn't know any Clearys, he might at least be able to point us in the direction of someone else who knew the local history and families. And considering this was the whole reason we'd come to Ireland in the first place, and the one day we'd set aside to find granny's old home, I was really hoping to find it soon.

It was about one o'clock Wednesday afternoon, we were in County Wexford, and I'd spent about an hour wandering around the village and surrounding area with Amy at my side trying to find my granny's home. We finally stopped a half hour ago for some lunch in this little pub in the middle of the hamlet.

Our vacation had been going pretty good so far. All four of us ended up staying in Dublin an extra night, since there was so much to do and see there. The revised plans meant me and Amy didn't leave the city until after lunch on Tuesday, when we rented a car and set out for County Wexford. We got as far as the market town of Gorey late that afternoon, then stopped there for dinner and found a place to stay.

We did a bit of sight-seeing in the market town last night and again this morning, before setting out in the car. Now we were roughly halfway between Gorey and the town of Wexford, in a little village that was supposed to be where my grandmother was born and grew up. Assuming my mom got the name right.

Meanwhile Alex and Hailey stayed behind in Dublin for one more day. They were going to hop on a train this afternoon and head straight to the town of Wexford, where me and my girlfriend would meet them this evening. The four of us would get dinner together, then find somewhere to stay the night. Me and Amy would probably turn in the rental car at that point too.

Then tomorrow we'd all tour around Wexford and see the sights, before catching the train to Rosslare Harbour. We'd spend Thursday night in a hotel near the ferry terminal, then first thing Friday morning we'd sail across St. George's Channel to Wales.

So I basically had another four or five hours at most to find my granny's family home and to see any other sights we wanted to visit while we were here in rural Ireland.

"Another thing we could try," Amy suggested quietly, "Is check the local cemeteries. We saw two of them while we were walking around, and neither looked that big. We could go take a stroll through them and see if we spot any graves with the Cleary name on them. Do you know your great grand-parents names?"

I shook my head, "Either granny never told mom any of that stuff, or if she did mom forgot. I was lucky enough to get a name for the village."

My girlfriend frowned, "I guess Mary really wanted to put this place behind her when she left. Which makes sense, considering the circumstances. Do you know if she stayed in touch with her parents at all?"

"Actually," she said as she got another idea, "Maybe we should drop in at the local church? The minister could be another good resource. He'll probably know something of the local history, and what families live in the area."

I nodded, "That's a good idea. I suppose I should try and talk to the bartender first, since we're here."

Amy gave me a sympathetic smile, "He didn't seem too unfriendly when we got our lunch."

"True," I agreed as I finished the last of my coffee. Then I had another look at my phone but instead of staring at the map app again I switched over to the photo album.

"I've also got those pictures I scanned from granny's scrapbook," I commented after a couple seconds. "It's another angle, but maybe someone would recognize the cottage in the photo? Although it's probably been seventy years since that picture was taken, and I'm sure a lot can change in that time."

My girlfriend shrugged, "Maybe? I think you'd have more luck asking about the family name, but I guess it doesn't hurt to try both options."

"Basically you just need to find someone who knows where the Cleary's home was," she summarized unhelpfully. "Either someone who knows them by name, or I guess someone who recognized the place in the picture? Either way you're going to have to talk to people though. I'm sure at least one person around here will know where Mary lived. It's just a question of finding them."

I nodded slowly, and was about to respond when I realized Amy seemed to be fighting a grin. Or a smirk. Something had her amused and she was trying not to let it show. Then it hit me and I almost facepalmed.

My cheeks were heating up as I groaned, "How long were you going to wait before saying something?"

She stifled a giggle, "I was going to remind you when we left the pub, if you hadn't figured it out by then."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" I pouted.

Amy was still struggling not to laugh, "I thought you wanted the satisfaction of finding it on your own? I didn't want to spoil it for you. I thought I should start dropping some hints though, just in case."

I rolled my eyes, "Hints, right. If only there was one person around here who knew where Mary lived. Like maybe my Goddess girlfriend, who was summoned directly into Mary's house sixty years ago?"

"Or Mary's girlfriend Amy Sullivan," she said with a smile, "Who crashed her car in front of Mary's house in an unsubtle effort to meet a girl she was interested in."

"Right. So where's the cottage? Is it around here, are we close?" I asked.

My girlfriend nodded, "It's about a quarter kilometre from where we parked. It's not your fault you didn't recognize it though. The cottage doesn't actually face the road, so it's hard to spot unless you already know where to look."

With some growing excitement I asked, "So should we go? Or are you still eating?"

Amy smiled as she got to her feet, "Let's go visit Mary's house."

I stood up as well, and the two of us headed over to the bar where Amy paid for our lunch. She gave the guy a good tip too, then we headed back outside. We turned to the right and started towards the little parking lot where we left the rental car. We didn't get the car though, we continued past the lot along the little country road.

We passed a little school on one side of the road, then a cemetery on the other side. There were a few relatively modern-looking houses on both sides of the road, then it curved to the right and we had some farmed fields on either side. The fields were bordered with trees and bushes, then we passed more trees and bushes that bordered the road on our right and a drainage ditch then a hedge on the left. Amy stopped there, by a slight left-hand bend in the road.

"That's where Amy Sullivan drove off the road," my girlfriend said, as she gestured to the ditch on the left. Then she indicated a narrow driveway hidden amid the row of trees and bushes on the right, "And the cottage where Mary lived is just through here."

My eyes widened and I smiled. I pulled out my phone and took some pictures of the road where Amy crashed her car, and set a pin with the GPS so I could look the place up later. Finally I moved past the trees onto the driveway and found myself looking at a good-sized lot by city standards, although it was dwarfed by the farm fields around it.

It was about fifty meters wide and about seventy meters deep, with more than three-quarters of it covered in manicured grass. The whole property was bordered by trees and shrubs, and there was a small garden towards the back and a few more trees in the middle. They also had garden shed beside the house, and a chicken coop at the back of the lot, next to the garden.

The cottage was in the north-west corner of the lot, set up close against some of the trees and bushes. Like Amy said it didn't face the road, it faced sideways. There was a large square paved area in front of it, and one small blue compact car parked off to the side.

I took several pictures of the cottage and the property, all while standing at the end of the driveway. And while I did that Amy asked, "Are you going to see if anyone's home?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

I led the way up to the front door, which looked a lot newer than the rest of the building. There was a shiny brass knocker attached to it, and I reached up and rapped it a couple times while Amy waited a couple steps behind me.

After a few moments the door was opened, revealing a young woman who looked about the same age as me and my girlfriend. She had fair skin and shoulder-length jet-black hair, blue eyes, and a pretty face. She stood an inch or two shorter than myself, and was dressed casual in a pair of tight jeans and a loose dark-green top.

"Hello?" she said as she looked me up and down. "What can I..."

Her voice trailed off as her gaze shifted to Amy, and the woman's eyes widened slightly. She ended up staring at my girlfriend for a few seconds. Eventually she found her voice again and asked Amy, "Who are you?"

"Sorry to disturb you," I responded. "My name is Theresa Fuller, and this is my girlfriend Amy Price. We're visiting from Canada, and I think maybe my grandmother Mary Cleary grew up in this house? I just wanted to say hello, and I was hoping maybe you could spare us a bit of time to talk? I'd like to learn a bit more about the property, and if you know anything about the Cleary family?"

Her eyebrows crept up a little higher as she looked back and forth between me and Amy. She finally responded, "I know a few things about the Cleary family, considering I'm one of them. The name's Niamh Cleary, and this cottage has been in our family for at least seven generations. I think that must mean you and I are cousins then?"

I found myself smiling, "I think you're right. It's a pleasure to meet you Niamh."

She stepped back from the door and gestured, "Come on in, let's have a seat and we can talk."

We ended up in a cosy little living room, Amy and I sat together on an old well-worn sofa while Niamh settled crosslegged into a drum chair across from us. She had an intense and excited smile on her face as she looked back and forth between the two of us, that left me feeling a little wary.

"So Amy," our host finally spoke up, addressing my girlfriend again which surprised me. I'd have though she'd be more interested in a long-lost cousin than the cousin's girlfriend. "I take you've got family in this area as well?"

Amy shrugged noncommittally as she replied, "Not as such. I'm mostly just here with Tess."

Niamh frowned, "Then what's with the eyes and hair? It can't be a coincidence that you'd show up here looking like that."

As soon as I heard that comment I glanced at Amy and found her looking back at me. I could guess she was thinking the same thing as me, that maybe I wasn't the only one in the family to know about our Goddess.

On the other hand I didn't want to jump to any conclusions just yet, so I asked Niamh "What makes you say that?"

"Is there something special about my appearance?" Amy added, trying to sound casual but curious.

Niamh laughed, "Apart from the fact that purple eyes are something you only see in anime, and silver hair is rare in people under the age of sixty?"

Her expression became serious again as she continued, "Our family heritage and some local history both refer to a mythical woman with silver hair and purple eyes. She's been all but forgotten, but I've come across some old references that mention her."

My eyes widened as Amy and I exchanged another glance. My heart started racing in excitement and I had an eager smile on my face as I asked, "You know about the Goddess?"

"I don't know that I'd call her a goddess," Niamh laughed. "She was probably a local witch or wise woman who ended up being venerated for some reason."

My lips kept trying to curl up into a wide smile as I shook my head, "No, I have it on pretty good authority that she's actually a Goddess. It was the Cleary family who were the witches and wise women of the area."

"How do you know that, and what do you mean by good authority?" Niamh asked with interest.

I turned toward my girlfriend and grinned.

"I don't exactly have family around here Niamh," Amy explained, "Not that I know of anyways. But I do have history here. The last time I was in this cottage was June nineteen sixty-four, when Theresa's granny summoned me."

A moment later I felt the Goddess's divine energy radiating outwards from Amethyst.

"Holy sh -" Niamh gasped as she stared at my girlfriend in awe.